Best Things To Do in Dallas This Weekend

Friday

Once a year, Deep Ellum transforms to a neighborhood of the arts — even more so than usual. The three-day Deep Ellum Arts Festival is back and possibly bigger than ever. The festival will feature 200 amazing decorative and visual artists, 100 bands and musicians performing on six stages throughout Deep Ellum, the renowned Pet Parade, and delicious foods and drinks. That’s art, music and food for you. The festival runs Friday through Sunday in Deep Ellum, 2900-3400 Main St. Admission is free. For more information, visit deepellumartsfestival.com. Paige Skinner

OK, cosplayers, steampunks, sci-fi freaks, Dr. Who lovers, this is your weekend, the grand palooza that proves that fan is short for fanatics. It's Fan Expo 2018 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, 650 S. Griffin St., and it's three days of zombies, superheroes, comics artists and celebs. Ben Affleck tops the roster of actors making a stop at this year's expo, but Jeff Goldblum, Val Kilmer, Christopher Lloyd, Carey Elwes, Wallace Shawn and way too many celebs to list will make appearances at this celebration of fandom, along with voice actors, props and a variety of special fan events, including a Master of Cosplay Grand Prix Qualifier. There'll be after-parties galore and photo ops out the wazoo, so break out your costume and camera and get ready for the Super Bowl of fandom. Single-day passes start and $25 and go up, way up, from there, especially for special events. The expo takes place 4-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Check out fanexpodallas.com for a complete lists of events and celebs, and while you're online, check out your credit card balance. You're probably going to want to know. Patrick Williams

Dallas Black Dance Theatre brings a world premiere of DBDT: Encore! — Rising Excellence to Moody Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St., at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. (There's a student show at 10:30 a.m. Friday with $5 tickets.) The show features Japanese choreographer Takehiro Ueyama's In the Sea of Heaven, created as an ode to the victims of the 2011 Japanese tsunami and last year's hurricanes. Then dancers shift into high gear in Zach Law Ingram's Phoenix, a contemporary ballet based on the mythical fire bird. Nine members of Texas Ballet Theater Professional Division will appear as guest artists in the world premiere of Wavelength, a contemporary ballet choreographed by TBT dancer Andre Silva. Call 214-871-2376 or visit dbdt.com for more information. Reba Liner

The second annual Denton Folk Festival features all your favorite finger-pickin’, whisky-slingin’, toe-tappin’ folk acts from Little D. The two-day fest features over 15 musicians, including singer-songwriter Claire Morales and “folk noir” outfit Whiskey Folk Ramblers. Day two of the festival begins with a children’s show and open mic contest. Kids get in free, and parents enjoy a reduced fee. Noon Friday and Saturday, April 6-7, The Parker House, 8550 W. University Dr., Denton, 469-556-3475, $10-$25. Diamond Victoria

Topic is back in Deep Ellum this week for a highly anticipated show with some local favorites. The rapper and producer moved to Oakland about a year ago but returned to Dallas last month to work on his upcoming album. He's shared stages with the likes of Erykah Badu, Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def), Danny Brown and others, and recently had his work featured at Sundance Film Festival. 8 p.m., Friday, April 6, Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122, treesdallas.com, $12. Diamond Victoria

Bermuda Triangle is a newly formed super trio consisting of three distinct female voices in the Americana genre. Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes is likely the best known of the three; her powerhouse vocals have dazzled over the course of the band's two stellar albums of work. Although they're a little less familiar to a wide-ranging audience, the other two members, Becca Mancari and Jesse Lafser, are right up with there with Howard in terms of musicianship and songwriting. Both artists have rootsy and melodic releases that ooze Laurel Canyon vibes while demanding repeat listens. Together, the trio creates music that can soundtrack both a late night at the local bar or a night of solitude spent comfortably on the front porch. The warm confines of the Kessler also present the perfect opportunity to bask in the warmth and glow of what should be a memorable evening of music. With Brittany Howard, 8 p.m. April 6, Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis St., 214-272-8346, thekessler.org, $20. Jeff Strowe

If shopping is cardio, Brittany Cobb is a lifetime long-distance athlete. The founder of Flea Style (formerly The Dallas Flea) took her passion for scouring flea markets and combined it with her desire to support local makers to create a biannual blowout for shoppers, deal-lovers and fashionistas alike. Don those endurance kicks and hydrate: Flea Style’s Dallas Spring Show kicks off with a VIP sneak peek from 5-9 p.m. Friday ($40) and continues with general admission shopping from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday ($5). Dallas Market Hall (North Hall), 2200 N. Stemmons Freeway, offers 80,000 square feet of handmade and vintage art, fashion, homewares and goods for the whole family. In addition to retail glory, VIPs get early access, free drink, cupcake, tote, a signed copy of Maryam Montague's Marrakesh by Design coffee table book, and more. The first 100 attendees on Saturday receive a free tote, along with a sure profit on that daily step count. Children under 12 admitted free. Purchase tickets at shopfleastyle.com. Merritt Martin

Saturday

J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young St., is hosting two free festivals from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. With a theme of "The Connected City," the fourth annual Dallas Festival of Ideas will cover four topics: affordable housing, education, technological advances in health care and integration of newcomers. Keynote speakers are Nikole Hannah-Jones, Larry Scarpa, Gina Kolata and Wajahat Ali. Space is limited, so register for the morning or afternoon session at thedallasfestival.com. The Dallas Book Festival, founded in 2006, includes a marketplace, public art tours of the library, and sessions with authors, poets and illustrators. Featured speakers are Jesse Andrews, Kara Bietz, Kayla Cagan, Hillary Jordan, Daniel Kalder, Mariko Tamaki and Lisa Wingate. Visit dallasbookfestival.org. Emily Goldstein

The Festival of Joy, also called Ratha-Yatra or the Festival of Chariots, is an ancient celebration of Indian culture, spirituality and, even more broadly, connection to friends and family. Cities around the world celebrate with parades, music, food and fun, and Dallas is no exception. TKG Academy, the Crow Collection of Asian Art and Kalachandji’s Restaurant & Palace present dance, storytelling, live music, authentic Indian food, face-painting, henna tattoos, a photo booth, games, children’s arts and crafts, meditation and a Ratha-Yatra parade, a re-enactment of the procession in which Krishna’s childhood friends brought him home. Your whole family can experience joy from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Klyde Warren Park, 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway. Admission is free. Call 214-827-6333 or visit fojdallas.com for more information. Jesse Hughey

The best part of watching a baseball game live, in person? No doubt, it’s the dogs. Saturday’s 7:05 p.m. Texas Rangers game (against the Toronto Blue Jays) at Globe Life Park, 1000 Ballpark Way in Arlington, is taking that sentiment in a more obvious direction with Bark at the Park, when fans can bring their pups (one per adult, and a special dog ticket is required) to the game. Rangers fan gear for pets and parents is encouraged, since the evening kicks off with a special pooch parade around the warning track before the game. Now, this is still a baseball game, complete with loud cheers, errant human-food concessions and the potential for fireworks, so be a good pet parent and purchase tickets only if little Elvis And-Ruff is chill with crowds and excitement … and is strictly anti-Blue Jay. Tickets are $30 for people and $10 for pups. Visit mlb.com/rangers. Merritt Martin

So maybe you're not a fan of period costumes. A lot of people are. Maybe being addressed by actors in fake Olde English accents who don't break character horrifies you. A lot of people like it. Jousting, knights, lords and ladies aren't your thing. A lot of people dig them. Maybe you think the Scarborough Renaissance Festival isn't for you. Before you decide, however, consider these nine words: the largest food-on-a-stick selection in Texas. Huh-freakin'-zah, we say. All the best food comes on a stick, and for that we'll put up with a little thee-ing and thou-ing. There'll also be the usual live performances, period music, artisan demonstrations, craft booths, etc. Whatever. Food on a stick is where it's at. The festival opens this weekend with a time traveler’s theme, including a costume contest for adults and scavenger hunt for kids. (The kids do the hunting, we mean.) The festival takes place every Saturday and Sunday through May 28, plus Memorial Day. Oh, and the grounds, 2511 FM 66 in Waxahachie, include 12 pubs. Huzzah again! Adult tickets start at $24, with all sorts of discounts for kids, students and group packages. For more information, visit srfestival.com. Patrick Williams

While the name of name Breakaway Music Festival may suggest a relaxing reprieve, it may as well be called the Breakout Music Festival for the sheer number of up-and-coming acts on the bill. David Burd, better known as Lil Dicky, will headline the festival as it makes its first stop of its season in one of DFW’s newest venues. The 30-year-old rapper struck big with “Freaky Friday” his first release since his 2015 debut album, Professional Rapper. Rich the Kid, who released his debut album, The World is Yours, last week, is also slated for the festival. Joining the bill is electropop prodigy Whethan, who hit the map with a fire remix of Missingno’s “XE3” when he was only 15. YFN Lucci, yet another act with a freshly dropped album, Ray Ray from Summerhill, will round out the show, which will showcase the cutting edge of modern hip-hop and EDM. 4 p.m. April 7, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 300 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving, eventbrite.com, $40. Nicholas Bostick

Dallas band Adakain is a hard-hitting metal act that throws a hell of a live show. It's one of 97.1 FM The Eagle's best bands to look out for, and Adakain's unique brand of metal promotes a positive message to its fans to have fun and do what you love. 8 p.m., Saturday, April 7, Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122, treesdallas.com, $10. Diamond Victoria